We are increasingly living our lives virtually via our computers, iPads and smartphones; in the way we communicate with friends, meet people, do our shopping, pay our bills, access our bank accounts and record our memories. Technology has evolved at an enormous pace and so has the way we store information. Simple things such as photographs, which in the past we could have flicked through in a printed album, are now stored online. We are encouraged to protect these digital activities with passwords and facial recognition apps. But what happens to all of this when you die?…

Abbey’s Director Christine Parker reflects: Back in January this year, I went to the Dying Matters Awareness Week launch in London with a colleague from the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors. I came away totally inspired to really ‘do something’ this year. Deciding on an event that would work in a rural town in Kent was challenging. What about a Death Café? I wasn’t sure that Tonbridge was quite ready . Coffee mornings seemed a safe bet but even they need a bit of an edge. The more I thought about the message from Dying Matters, the more…

‘We plan for everything else during our lives but very few plan for the inevitable.’ By Chris Parker, Managing Director of Abbey We’re holding two coffee mornings to raise funds for our bereavement charity Friends Together and to launch their end of life planning guide: ‘Five Things To Do Before I Die.’ They’re part of the Dying Matters Awareness Week (12-18 May 2013), organised by the Dying Matters Coalition to encourage people to talk openly about dying, death and bereavement. Throughout Dying Matters Awareness Week, events and activities are being held up and down the country to raise awareness about end of life…